"I am sorry I cannot spare you any more time. When you are a little older you will understand more of the meaning of love," he added looking at her gravely, "that a man and his wife are so one that it is perfectly unnecessary for them to remind each other of their existence or of their love for one another. Happily for me Rachel understands and absolutely trusts me."
Gwen rose.
"But that does not explain about the coal scuttle business," she said, "I do hope Luke," she added, "that you will take care of her. She has given up everything for you."
Luke held the door open for Gwen politely, and was silent. Then he locked it after her and sitting down by his desk tried to write. But he found this was impossible. He felt all on edge. How dared the child talk as she did; but when his irritation had subsided the remembrance of her words fell like lead on his heart. Was it a fact Rachel had lost her spirits and that Gwen saw a real change in her since her marriage?
He began pacing up and down his study while a terrible anxiety weighed upon his mind. Was she not happy? Did she regret the step she had taken? And the fear that every now and then had attacked him as to the rightfulness of taking her away from her happy home, gained ground.
He could laugh off the ridiculous fuss Gwen had made about the coal scuttle. Of course he had been quite unaware of Rachel carrying the heavy weight across the room. He was able so to concentrate his attention on what he was reading that he seldom noticed what was passing round about him, unless he was trying to solve some difficult problem, when every sound disturbed him. But he was so used to reading while Rachel moved about the room that he had noticed nothing till he remembered Gwen had called out to him, "Luke, don't you see that Rachel is carrying the scuttle?" when he had risen at once, but too late.
That it proved in the very least that he was not careful of her he would not admit for a moment. Neither did he pay any heed to Gwen's ridiculous fancy that because he was not always showing his devotion to his wife by his glances, his affection had waned. These ideas did not trouble him; but the fact that Gwen had noticed Rachel was looking and had lost her spirits was quite another thing, and it worried him exceedingly.
Meanwhile Gwen had gone into the drawing-room where she found Rachel writing home. She turned round at the sound of her entrance.
"What have you been talking to Luke about?" she said a little anxiously. "You have been a long time in the study."
"I have been giving him a lecture," answered Gwen, seating herself on a low chair by the writing table.